THE KNOWLEDGE MEDIA INSTITUTE

History of Flight

Key events

Flights of fancy

Models

Aerodynamics

How planes fly

Historical development

Aero-engines

Flyers

Cayley

Lilienthal

Phillips

The Wright Brothers

Santos-Dumont

Cody

Links

About FirstFlight

Accessibility

Flights of Fancy - Flyer


Phillips' first model 'flyer' of 1893 had 40 narrow wings, and only just lifted when driven round a circular track at 40mph by a steam engine. However its double surfaced aerofoil represents an important stage in the development of flight. His results and designs would have influenced the Wright Brother's understanding of their own wind tunnel data.